Winthrop Listed in U.S. News edition of America's Best Colleges

Quick Facts

This year, Winthrop is tied for eighth place with University of North Carolina-Charlotte. For the three previous years, Winthrop had maintained a ranking of ninth place in the South among peer institutions. This is the 14th time the Rock Hill campus has received a mention in the prestigious newsmagazine.

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Winthrop University moved up a notch in the South’s top 10 public universities that convey bachelor’s and master’s degrees, according to the 2006 U.S. News & World Report’s latest issue of "America’s Best Colleges."

This year, Winthrop is tied for eighth place with University of North Carolina-Charlotte. For the three previous years, Winthrop had maintained a ranking of ninth place in the South among peer institutions. This is the 14th time the Rock Hill campus has received a mention in the prestigious newsmagazine.

U.S. News ranks schools based on their academic reputation by their peers, graduation and retention rates, class size, student/faculty ratio, percentage of full-time faculty, student selectivity and alumni giving. Winthrop posted a slightly smaller faculty/student ratio, slightly smaller classes and a higher percentage of freshmen in the top of their class.

U.S. News will release the annual listing of more than 1,400 schools across the country on its website on Friday, Aug. 19. The America’s Best Colleges newsstand book and the weekly edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine will both go on sale Monday, Aug. 22.

"Winthrop is always pleased to have such affirmation of our quality and value," said Winthrop President Anthony DiGiorgio. "The list of the third parties who have evaluated us in this way is longer than ever, and that’s a real compliment to the on-going dedication for excellence of all Winthrop faculty and staff."

Winthrop’s growing reputation has drawn the attention of several magazines in their annual college rankings. Last year, Consumers Digest listed Winthrop a best value among 50 public colleges and universities in the United States. Princeton Review has rated Winthrop among its "Best Southeastern Colleges" while the university also has appeared in Barron’s Best Buys.

U.S. News Top 10 Public Universities – Master’s (South)

1. James Madison University (VA)2. The Citadel (SC)3. University of Mary Washington (VA)4. College of Charleston (SC)5. Appalachian State University (NC)6. Murray State University (KY)7. UNC-Wilmington8. UNC-CharlotteWinthrop University (SC)10. Mississippi University for Women